In recent years, automatic milking systems and other equipment have been developed in order to increase the efficiency of milk farms, e.g. by reducing the manual labour required and/or by increasing the average milk yield per cow.
A milking operation typically comprise a cleaning operation where teats are cleaned in a cleaning step, e.g. by rinsing and/spraying the teats with a cleaning fluid in order to remove any dirt or other material that may contaminate the milk. The cleaning step may reduce or eliminate undesired bacteria that may contaminate the milk. The spraying of cleaning fluid may be referred to as pre-spraying. The cleaning is followed by a milking step. After milking, the teats are typically sprayed with a spray solution, such as liquid, foam or other fluid, in order close the milk channels of the teats, e.g. for reducing the risk of mastitis. Spraying of teats after milking may be referred to as post-spraying.
WO 2010/068688 discloses a system and method for the delivery of sanitizing foam, where a teat dip solution is mixed with gas in a vessel. The temperature of the spray solution is kept substantially constant with a heat pump and a sensor positioned in the vessel in order to optimize the properties of the spray solution. The spray solution is circulated in a closed loop at a temperature of about 12° C. which may result in undesired bacteria growth in the spray solution.
There is a desire to reduce undesired stress on dairy animals during milking in order to improve the milk yield and the efficiency of automatic milking systems.
Despite the developments in automatic milking systems, there is still a need for methods and devices for improving different parts of a milking procedure in order to reduce costs, increase yield and/or improve cow health.